HC Deb 12 December 1995 vol 268 cc606-8W
Mr. Dicks

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average response time to 999 calls by the Metropolitan police. [4814]

Mr. Maclean

I understand from the Commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis that in the 12-month period to 30 November the average time taken to answer a 999 call was 12 seconds. In the six months to the end of November 1995, the average time for officers to respond to a 999 call graded "immediate" was 12 minutes. The relevant Metropolitan police charter standards are to answer 999 calls within 15 seconds in 80 per cent. of cases—latest statistics give an achievement rate of 84 per cent.—and to arrive at urgent incidents within 12 minutes in 75 per cent of cases, for which latest statistics give an achievement rate of 90 per cent.

Mr. Congdon

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many 999 calls are received by the Metropolitan police each year; and what is the average number per hour. [4815]

Mr. Maclean

I understand from the Commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis that in the year 1 April 1994 to 31 March 1995 the Metropolitan police received 1,534,978 calls on the 999 system. Since 1 April this year 1,145,809 999 calls have been logged. This represents an average of 200 such calls received per hour. The other metropolitan forces in England receive between 16 and 50 calls per hour via the 999 system.